September 27th, 2013

Good Day . . . 

Well I've given this effort about two weeks to percolate and we've had quite a few page views so I know people are at least checking.  That is good.  I don't know that I expected a great deal of comment after the initial post but as we go along, I hope it will pickup.

The week of the flood.  I think that's what I'll take from this last week.  I admit it is quite impressive when you see the volume of water in the Platte.  Today is to be the crest period and it certainly is full.  If crossing at our south city limits, you will see some low land flooding to both the north as well as to the south east.  Nothing of consequence at this point but noticeable. Emergency Management and others have been monitoring the river levels over the past week and I applaud the Emergency Manager for keeping the public so well informed.  We can tell by the volume of traffic on the Platte River Bridge that this is something people are very interested in.

Think Fall, Think Safety . . . 

I was contacted recently by a citizen of the community who wants to work to address a real concern for many of us.  She noted that so few people wear anything reflective or can easily seen while riding bikes, skateboards or even as pedestrians in the evening and nighttime hours.  She stated that she and many of her friends had noticed and commented on this recently.  I have to agree.  People are a bit lazy in this area.

Code addresses equipment required on bicycles for night time riding.  City Code Sections 8-312 and 8-313 both discuss the needed equipment or manner of operation.  All bikes need a headlight on the front that emits a white light, visible from at least 500 feet and  a red reflector on the rear which shall be visible on a clear night from all distances between one hundred (100) feet and six hundred (600) feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlights on a motor vehicle. 
8-313 states that:
 "A.   Any person who operates a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.

B.   Any person who rides a bicycle upon a roadway shall not ride more than single file except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.

C.   Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use such roadway."

These are simply practical safety measures that everyone riding a bicycle should use.  Other good ideas include brightly colored clothing, possibly with reflective material.  There are no requirements in Code regarding pedestrians, but all due caution should be taken.  We are a healthy and active community and we have a good number of people participating in these activities.  Everyone could take the time to make certain they are in compliance with the Code for riding a bike and use common sense if you are "boarding" or walking/jogging.

We have a great number of trails in the community which can be used for a variety of these types of activities and we advocate their use whenever possible.  We'll continue to look at this topic as time goes on.

See, that is the engagement that I see here in Kearney.  People have a question, a concern and they get involved, and work for a solution.  Cool Beans!  Maybe you have an issue or concern, bring it up, let's see what we can get done.

ENGAGEMENT . . .

We have several categories of calls for service.  When you call the communications center, they assign a call type and dispatch the appropriate type of unit.  One area of call types that always amazes me are those of a "Suspicious" nature.  We have several mores specific categories; Suspicious Subject; Suspicious Vehicle; Suspicious Occurrence.  These allow us to track incidents specifically.  What is amazing is the numbers of calls we get from the public in these areas.

Peers are also impressed based on our numbers and the population of the community.  As an example in 2012 we had 413 "Suspicious Activity" calls for service.  This is a pretty substantial number of calls and it shows us that people are paying attention.  They are taking the time to call us when they observe something or someone that raises their suspicions.  We really appreciate that.

We are not going to be everywhere and frankly you know your neighborhoods better than we ever could.  If you see something that creates a concern, please call us.  We try to respond as quickly as possible to investigate and often times there is a logical explanation for what is reported, but we don't know unless we are called or see something ourselves.  Your engagement is what helps keep all of our neighborhoods safe.

Well again, I think I leave it there for now.  Please, comment or ask a question.

Dan Lynch

Chief of Police

Kearney Police Department

Welcome

LET'S BEGIN . . . 

I have started this effort numerous times.  Each time I hesitated as I do not want this to be a one sided conversation.  I may not have enough to say to keep all of you interested, but I will certainly try to respond if given a question or a comment for discussion.

Several of my peers do this, as a means of communications and dialogue.  Their reviews as to the value of this are mixed but most see it as an opportunity to engage their communities.  A blog  provides opportunities for people to ask questions or generate ideas.  Like myself, they believe that an open and two way dialogue with the people they serve can only make the department and the community better.  

How does this "blog" thing work anyway?  Well I think of this as a kind of cumbersome editorial page in the paper.  A page you can write into and comment on as you see the need.  You will need to "subscribe" to comment but I think you have some latitude in how you are viewed by others when you post.  

Generally my goal will be to address topics on a "fairly" regular basis and hope I find something that generates either questions or comments or both.  There must be some level of rules so I ask that anyone who subscribes and wants to comment, be tactful and kind, particularly when replying to a comment from another person's comments.   We just have to keep this appropriate.  If you go on a rant and don't see your post, you can always contact me in a more direct manner to discuss your concern.  

Speaking of which, this might be a good time to mention that I am certain there will be issues that people share that we as a department should address.  I would tell each of you that if you have a need for police service, call us at (308) 237-2104 or if it is an emergency dial 911.  You can also use the City of Kearney "Access Kearney" web reporting system.  Just go to the City of Kearney web sight, www.cityofkearney.org and you'll see a link on the left hand side.  This is a great place to report a concern that may not rise to the level of a police response or may be more appropriately dealt with as a nuisance or code violation.  This has done a really good job for all of us over the past couple of years. 

LET'S GET STARTED . . . .

Kearney is a wonderful community.  We are well thought of in this part of the country and are considered progressive.  We have a beautiful community to look at and I think we all take great pride in how we present ourselves to visitors and others who come here.  That is why I think the two fires in the restrooms at Pioneer Park have been so troubling for us this year. 

After the first incident many hoped it was an isolated event.  We were wrong.  Even with neighbors and us keeping an extra eye on the area, it happened again.  These types of incidents often fit a pattern as to the age of the person who does this, their gender, where they live and other factors.  We explored some of this prior to the second fire, but did not come up with a viable suspect at that time.  I am pleased to say that we have identified the party we feel is responsible.

For someone to attack such a beautiful part of the community shocks our senses.  For no reason is this something that people can understand.  Realize however that public and government facilities and structures are the most frequent targets of this type of crime.  In this instance, we know who is responsible and they fit the most common description; 10 to 18 years of age, male, with little supervision.  They also live in close proximity to the park.  It is our hope that with time, sufficient evidence will become available to address this youths issues. Without intervention, this will continue and escalate.  

I have been gone this last week, to a conference just outside of Chicago.  I am a member of the Executive Board of this group which deals with criminal intelligence and is part of a nationwide system of support and assistance to law enforcement agencies in the form of information, equipment and technical support.  It has always pleased me to know that "problems" are the same where ever you go, regardless of the community.  The numbers change but the problems remain the same.  This is always a great opportunity to listen and learn from my collegues to glean new ideas or techniques and to reaffirm what a great agency and great officers we have.

Well for now, I think I'll end this here.  I do hope we can create a dialogue and work together to address concerns and issues.  Have a great weekend.